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Hi all,
I'd like to share a video I just took of my full size Lost in Space B9 robot that's controlled by two EZ-B controller boards. Right now they are controlling limited movement and voice response of a few motors, lights and sound files played from a Sparkfun MP3 Trigger board. Although I'm just starting with the animation and have more building on the actual robot the result (mostly thanks to the EZ Robot controller board) is shocking. Please have a look at this (4 minute) You Tube vid and enjoy.
Please excuse some Technical camera lighting and sound issues. This is the first time I'd made and posted a vid online.
EDIT 8/2/13: Just realized I have no good pictures of how my B9 will look when complete. Here's one of the actual TV robots from the 60's TZ show Lost in Space and one recent shot of where I'm at with my build over 1 1/2 year after I started. Enjoy:
Thanks, Dave Schulpius
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@Tony, Your like a knight in shining armor charging in to save the day. I was ready to go home tonight and start ripping out the wireing. I'll take your advice and wait till I get the V4. It sounds like you've got the ramping issue figured out. I guess it took a more skilled mind them mine to overcome this. God know I was getting no help from DE. Thanks so much for being willing to share and help.
I was able to get close to having it work but was still having clunkly results. I tried to write a code with the suggestions you made useing a precentage to start ramping up and down. It worked but just couldnt refine it to act like I wanted to see. Maybe I was useing the wrong values to figure the precentage to get the ramping right. I was mostly relaying on feedback from the pot attached to EZB's ADC to tell an EZ script when to sent the ramp down EZ script serial command. It wasnt pretty and didnt act it.
You say you've got a script written into a PIC. Is it something EZB can transmit over serial to the Kangaroo?
@Bret, The gear set was bought from a vendor off the B9 Builders Club site. His name is Andy and he also supplies these for the R2D2 builders. I'll get the link for you later today when I get home.
@Bret, Here's the link to Andy Schwartz's gear sets. He has several styles to choose from.
Waist gears
Thanks again Dave!
@Bret, I almost have that motor circuit schematic done. I'll try to post it tonight. cool
Dave, my trials with the Kangaroo is with a stand alone PIC microcontroller as I needed to have bi-directional comms so I can read the "get position" data, here is the rig.
I am using encoders for feedback, some people on this forum think that encoders are not very accurate, this is not always the case. Here the encoder give 64000 clicks per revolution, with the setup you see here after leaving it running for over an hour the drive wheels were still perfectly aligned the accuracy is unbelievable. With this type of system and anti-slip wheels a robot can move very accurately and map rooms etc.
I will get a video up of the Kangaroo rig working when I get some spare time.
Tony
As always, awesome job Tony.... One day (if I keep mine) I would like to get my kangaroo figured out so I can use it....
Cheers Richard
@Toymaker Thank you, a picture is worth a thousand words! Would you think that a Hall effect device would allow a smaller "footprint" for smaller bots?
@Richard .....you must be on a graveyard shift, posting at 4:07 am!
@Richard, dont give up on the Kangaroo, its a fantastic bit of kit! and can probably do everything you want. I have it ramping up and ramping down very smoothly as Dave is looking for and controlling motors with extremely high accuracy movements. I not sure when I will get a V4 (DJ said that I was going to be sent one, but I have no idea where I would be in the queue?) when I do get a V4, I will write the scripts for controlling the Kangaroo (with bi-directional comms) and post them on the forum.
@irobot58, the hall effect devices are usually low resolution, so probably will not work so well, you really need high resolution 2 channel quadrature optical encoders, I use these.
uk.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Avago-Technologies/HEDS-5500A06/?qs=RuhU64sK2%252bvR8YZlqGE72A==